Do I need to get an AK now? Yes, yes I do! But…

Grendizer138 said:
I bet the Maadi is the easiest to de-ban as well.
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Yes. There's very little work a Maadi needs to deban it. Quality does vary, though, especially in terms of the finish. I've seen Maadis that look almost as good as any FEG and others that look like a kindergartner melted some black crayons and then dredged the metal parts through the slop.
 
Dench said:
I sold all my AK's in 7.62x39 and all I have left is my 5.45x39 AK. That I can't find ammo for really.

5.56 is $.50 a round right now. 5.45 is a lot more than that. I don't see the situation getting any better either.

Another problem is when I do find 5.45 and it's not full rape prices I then have to decide if I want it because it's steel core or not, which limits what I can use it for at the range.

It's turned into a pain in the ass. What was once a dirt cheap round is now very expensive and the ammo I can find is either $1 a round and great or under that corrosive steel core that I cant shoot plates with.
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This is a concern of mine as well. It doesn’t appear that even the most positive outlook will show x39 or any other steel cased ammo will ever be seen at those sub .30cpr prices again. We would have to see new manufacturers increase production and cut costs which is just not going to happen.
 
Thanks everyone. As I look at it I got an AR-10, several 308 battle rifles and several ARs already. An AK is very weak in my collection so looking for something to fit the bill. Not join to jump on just anything, but good to know what I'm looking at as I search.
 
DJBrad said:
This is a concern of mine as well. It doesn’t appear that even the most positive outlook will show x39 or any other steel cased ammo will ever be seen at those sub .30cpr prices again. We would have to see new manufacturers increase production and cut costs which is just not going to happen.
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Theres a lot working against 5.45x39 right now. 2 main things. The continuious creep of import bans from 2nd world countries (Russia, China) who make the majority of this shit in the 1st place and the ongoing never ending war in Ukraine, not to mention whatever war replaces that war. So, we have 2 markets we aren't even allowed to buy from anymore and we have large scale conflicts actively using the ammo.

There is some Azerbaijani 5.45x39 being imported right now from Atlantic Firearms 5.45x39 Ammo SALE - AtlanticFirearms.com
This is a complete f***ing rip off. $.72 a round for corrosive ammo.
 
Best thing to do is talk to your favorite dealer. The dealer you get your fun stuff from. Have them find what you want. They can buy out of state and get what you are looking for. If not try South Shore guns he can show you a bunch of different guns and you can handle them all and get what people are saying. Theres plenty of shops but pick one that has different manufacturers so you can handle them.
Chinese have the best triggers hands down. Best blueing also in my opinion. If you just want a great shooter get a Mak-90. If you care about preban and collector value get a Norinco 56S so you get the bayonet lug, threaded barrel and cleaning rod hole in the handguard. They are great guns, the legends are beautiful rifles but the Stamped Chinese are great. All have amazing triggers unless bubba changed it.
Do not buy a misr, thats junk built off a chinese parts kit with a Maadi receiver in the USA.
The hunter conversions are nice, people complain about the slanted rear but if its a galil conversion the stubs been rewelded square most times for the galil stock.
At the end of the day it’s up to you go handle a bunch and you will see the differences that everyone has listed in the thread then you can pick what you like. A knowledgeable shop will show you all of them and explain the differences on site and help you with what you are looking for.
 
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I bought a used Opap many years ago , love it. Friggin thing is built like a tank. Love shooting AK's its that "nostalgic" shooting feel that i enjoy. A very close brother to my O pap is the Zpap and you can still get them. Only thing with Yugo's is they have some proprietary components that don't interchange with your standard AK.

Zastava AK-47 Rifles For Sale - Buy Online at Classic Firearms

www.classicfirearms.com www.classicfirearms.com
 
Dench said:
I sold all my AK's in 7.62x39 and all I have left is my 5.45x39 AK. That I can't find ammo for really.

5.56 is $.50 a round right now. 5.45 is a lot more than that. I don't see the situation getting any better either.

Another problem is when I do find 5.45 and it's not full rape prices I then have to decide if I want it because it's steel core or not, which limits what I can use it for at the range.

It's turned into a pain in the ass. What was once a dirt cheap round is now very expensive and the ammo I can find is either $1 a round and great or under that corrosive steel core that I cant shoot plates with.
Click to expand...
I still have a few rounds of 5.45 left from the salad days :)
 
I won’t buy a post-89 AK unless it’s something really cool, but here’s my guidance:

- Must have a military pedigree (No .223 “AKs” and no US-made receivers!)
- No 👏 US-made 👏 Receivers!
- Must have a threaded barrel or be able to thread 14x1 LHT (no bolt on brakes!)
- Nothing bubba’d that can’t be un-bubba’d
- Must be square-back receiver if Chinese
- No B-West stuff, not even the early heat-treated ones.
- No mix-matched country of origin parts (with some exception, e.g. a modified Romanian stock on a MAK90 > Chinese thumbhole stock
- more available parts = easier to de-ban (e.g. Romanians are easy to de-ban, Chinese less so)
- Must be chrome-lined barrel (unless M70)
- No f***in Magpul stocks or handguards!
- Badly canted sights = too hard to fix
- Must have good factory rivets
- A partial Saiga conversion is better than a full Saiga conversion from an unknown builder
- MUST be 16” barrel
- TBC
 
Rockrivr1 said:
What AK should I be getting? Look, with the new ban coming I’m thinking it’s time to get an AK in my collection. I have a really crappy SAR-1 with awful trigger slap. So thinking it’s time to get something else.

I see the Holy Grail Polytechs in the classifieds but that is too rich for my blood. With that said what are some good ones to look for that are not $4-5000?

Yes, I know. I’ve waited too long. It is what it is.

Thanks
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sell me the SAR and put that towards the Poly in the classifieds
 
puška m70 said:
IMO Maadis are way lower on the list. They are a legit military factory made and accurate AKM, but the overall quality, fitment, and finish is notably lower than a Hungarian or Chinese AK. Even the actual Yugo ones (those imported by Zastava and Mitchell, made in Kragujevac).

Man, Hungarians and Chinese guns have WAY WAY WAY better fit n finish than Maadis. Not even a competition. I love Maadis but no way

And Romanian AKs like SARs, etc are lower IMO as well due to similar reasons, Bulgarian and Hungarian guns are way nicer than them in almost every aspect. Yes, avoid US made AKs in general while we have imported options from actual military arms factories of countries who field the AKs.

Not to say the Maadi or Romanian aren't legit and just as reliable, just not as "nice." I'd use them in a military or SHTF application myself.
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do you want a pretty rifle, or an accurate, dependable, works every time don't care how it looks rifle?

i LOVE my Maadi, especially since she stopped off in Croatia on the way to me, and i've been to the former yugoslavia.... so, connection...

(i say Maadi, but really it was a Maadi shipped to Croatia, then cut up and i bought it as a parts kit, so really it's garage-made)
 
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puška m70 said:
Nah man, I love Maadis and Romanian guns, have owned and shot both extensively but they observably not as nice as a Hungarian or Chinese AK.

Some WASR's are great, everything lines up, but a big % have terribly canted sights, canted gas block and are uncomfortably overgasses.
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Guess I lucked out that the FEG kit I sourced for my build was a good one to have. Thought I was simply skinflinting as a good NESer should...
 
Grendizer138 said:
I won’t buy a post-89 AK unless it’s something really cool, but here’s my guidance:

- Must have a military pedigree (No .223 “AKs” and no US-made receivers!)
- No 👏 US-made 👏 Receivers!
- Must have a threaded barrel or be able to thread 14x1 LHT (no bolt on brakes!)
- Nothing bubba’d that can’t be un-bubba’d
- Must be square-back receiver if Chinese
- No B-West stuff, not even the early heat-treated ones.
- No mix-matched country of origin parts (with some exception, e.g. a modified Romanian stock on a MAK90 > Chinese thumbhole stock
- more available parts = easier to de-ban (e.g. Romanians are easy to de-ban, Chinese less so)
- Must be chrome-lined barrel (unless M70)
- No f***in Magpul stocks or handguards!
- Badly canted sights = too hard to fix
- Must have good factory rivets
- A partial Saiga conversion is better than a full Saiga conversion from an unknown builder
- MUST be 16” barrel
- TBC
Click to expand...

Louder, for the people in the back!

Especially about the Magpul furniture. f*** that shit.
 

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